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This Lemon Pepper Chicken takes only 40 minutes to make from start to finish (including baking time!). It's a perfect recipe for a busy weeknight that a whole family will love. Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs are seasoned with lemon-pepper seasoning, baked to perfection, and served with the delicious Creamy Garlic-Lemon Sauce.
Lemon Pepper Chicken
Lemon Pepper Chicken is a simple weeknight meal that uses basic ingredients and takes only 40 minutes. The skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs are coated with lemon pepper seasoning and flour, and then pan-seared until golden brown. Next, the chicken is baked in the oven to perfection. For a final touch, serve the lemon pepper chicken together with creamy Parmesan sauce. This restaurant-quality dinner might become your new favorite chicken dinner that both kids and adults will love!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Lemon pepper chicken is a comfort food meal that combines protein (chicken) with delicious creamy sauce.
- It's quick and easy and comes together in just 40 minutes!
- This delicious recipe looks fancy on a plate - perfect for an everyday dinner and also for entertaining company.
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- Make it from scratch. Lemon pepper seasoning is super easy to make! Just combine finely diced lemon peel, freshly ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.
- Use store-bought seasoning. Alternatively, you can use a store-bought lemon pepper seasoning and save yourself some time.
How to make lemon pepper chicken
1) Mix 3 teaspoons of lemon pepper seasoning with flour. Pat the tops (skin side) of chicken thighs with this seasoning mixture.
2) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on high-medium heat in a large skillet.
3) Add chicken thighs skin side down and cook for about 4 minutes on high-medium heat until browned, uncovered.
4) Sprinkle the other side of the chicken with 1 teaspoon more lemon pepper seasoning.
5) Flip the chicken thighs over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. The skin side of chicken thighs should be nicely browned like this:
6) Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil.
7) Place chicken thighs skin side up (crispy side up) on the baking sheet and bake at 375 F for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked, the juices run clear and the chicken is no longer pink in the center:
8) In the meantime, while the chicken is baking, make the sauce with garlic, chicken stock, heavy cream, lemon pepper seasoning, and shredded cheese (Parmesan, Mozzarella, or both).
9) Add 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and top with chopped green onions:
10) Add cooked lemon pepper chicken thighs to the skillet on top of the sauce.
11) Top with chopped parsley and decorate with a few slices of lemon:
Substitutions
- You can use shredded Mozzarella cheese in place of shredded Parmesan cheese.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.
- You can use chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken thighs. Just be sure to watch the baking times - depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs, the baking time might have to be reduced.
Recipe tips and recommendations
- To save time, while the chicken bakes, make the cream sauce. This way, the whole recipe will take only 40 minutes from start to finish, including a baking time of 20 minutes.
- Tips for making the creamy sauce. To make the cream sauce, bring all the liquids (chicken broth and heavy cream) to a brief boil, and add shredded Parmesan cheese. Immediately, reduce the heat to simmer and continue stirring the sauce on low simmer heat until all the cheese is completely melted and the creamy sauce forms.
What to serve with lemon pepper chicken
- Greens. Cook some spinach, or other greens, such as Swiss chard, or kale. Here is a recipe for a simple sautéed spinach - you can cook pretty much any leaves using this recipe.
- Green beans. Simple cooked green beans will do. If you want something a bit more interesting, try bacon and garlic green beans, sautéed in olive oil and butter in a skillet on the stovetop.
- Potatoes: Serve mashed potatoes, and roasted potatoes, or try this refreshing cilantro-lime potato salad.
- Rice: Serve rice pilaf or any kind of flavored rice that you can buy in the store in a package. You can also serve this with wild rice, delicious with this lemon pepper chicken.
More chicken recipes you might like
If you like chicken thighs in a creamy sauce, here are more recipes in a similar style:
- Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce- high-fat, low-carb, gluten-free chicken recipe. Fantastic for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs!
- Pan-fried chicken thighs in a creamy bacon sauce with a touch of lemon.
- Skillet Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tomato Basil Spinach Sauce - made with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Lemon Pepper Chicken with Creamy Garlic-Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
Lemon Pepper Chicken:
- 6 chicken thighs , skin-on, bone-in
- 4 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning , divided
- ¼ cup flour (use gluten free flour for gluten free version)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Creamy Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 5 garlic cloves , minced
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan , shredded
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 3 green onions , chopped (use only green parts)
Garnish:
- freshly parsley chopped
- lemon slices
Instructions
Lemon Pepper Chicken:
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Mix 3 teaspoons of lemon pepper seasoning with flour. Pat the tops (skin side) of chicken thighs with this seasoning mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on high-medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add chicken thighs skin side down and cook for about 4 minutes on high-medium heat until browned, uncovered. Sprinkle the other side of chicken with 1 teaspoon more of lemon pepper seasoning.
- Flip the chicken thighs over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from heat.
- Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place chicken thighs skin side up (crispy side up) on the baking sheet and bake at 375 F for about 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked, the juices run clear and the chicken is no longer pink in the center.
Creamy Sauce:
- In the meantime, while the chicken is baking, make the sauce. Thoroughly clean and dry the skillet you used for cooking chicken thighs.
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon butter on medium heat in this cleaned skillet.
- Add minced garlic and cook, constantly stirring, for about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken stock and 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning to the skillet and bring to boil.
- Add heavy cream and bring to boil.
- Add shredded cheese and stir until melted. Reduce heat to simmer and keep stirring until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir in. Top with chopped green onions (chop up only green portion of green onions and don't use white portion). Keep the sauce covered.
- The lemon pepper chicken should be cooked by now. Check it for doneness and if chicken is completely cooked through, add it to the skillet on top of the sauce and on top of green onions.
- Top with chopped parsley and decorate with a few slices of lemon.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
The recipe was originally published on January 6, 2016 and republished with cooking tips and updates in June 2018.
I love the combination of lemon pepper with chicken! Thanks for this recipe!
You're very welcome!
This is the BEST chicken recipe I’ve ever found. The chicken came out perfect! I subbed the green onions for spinach and it was delicious Thank you for sharing! My family loved it!
You're very welcome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Spinach with this chicken sounds delicious! 🙂
Would love to follow you via Email, but cannot find a way. Your recipes look great.
Terry
Thank you! About signing up via email, I am working to fix this. I will let you know when it's fixed.
Hi! I just found your blog but couldn't subscribe by email bc it's deactivated.
I am working to fix this.
Wow, I am a recent college graduate and have barely cooked before. This lemon pepper chicken recipe is absolutely wonderful! Chicken was so juicy and the skin was delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
You're very welcome! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
How long can I refrigerate this sauce for. Is it safe to stay about 4-5 days ?
Yes, the sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an air-tight container.
Hey, you have used lemon pepper seasoning for the chicken and just lemon seasoning for the sauce. What is this lemon seasoning? Is it just the driedlemon zest that we get in a bottle?
No, I just used lemon pepper seasoning for both (both for the chicken and for the sauce).
Can this recipe be made with chicken breast
Yes, you can, but the baking time for the chicken will probably have to be reduced, because chicken breast cooks faster than chicken thighs.
I have made this recipe a few times and it amazes me how something so simple can be so delicious. I really appreciate recipes that are easy to follow just as this one. The fact that I can have dinner done is just 40 minutes can’t be beat!
Lovely recipes Pl send some
I had a couple of thoughts after reading this recipe.
Why would you wash the pan out before making the sauce? If you deglaze it, you don't lose all the flavor from the browned chicken that would make the sauce flavorful. I'd also ask about the use of flour - if you use a seasoned cast iron pan, the chicken won't stick and will brown well. A regular pan would work too, avoiding non-stick were possible. The trick is to not move the chicken until the skin releases. This takes about five minutes, the skin will be golden bronze and adds a lot of flavor to the dish.
I would do the first steps the same way, omitting the flour. Then I'd deglaze the pan, adding the broth or stock and garlic (shallots might also be nice) and a 1/2-1/3 cup of white wine. Reduce it for a while, then add the rest of your ingredients. I'd cut back on the heavy cream, for this amount of chicken I'd use no more than 1/4 cup.
These are my suggested changes; deglaze the pan, cut the flour out, add white wine and reduce the heavy cream. As it stands, it looks to be a fairly bland and heavy sauce. It has potential, creamy and cheesy is always delicious and lemon chicken is a wonderful combination.
Great tips! Omitting the flour is an option, even though using the flour does make for a crispier and thicker skin. About washing the pan - after frying the chicken on a relatively high heat with flour and pepper, I had too much of a brown mess in my pan, which is why I prefer to wash it. But, if the flour is omitted, there might be no brown mess in the pan to begin with, so no need to wash it. Thank you for taking your time to leave your very useful and thoughtful comment - I always appreciate it! 🙂
Absolutely delicious. I've made as dinner last night, and my boyfriend loves it very² much. Thanks Jules!
Syida, I am so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I am dairy free and made this with coconut milk and veggie go mozzarella...the consistency did not turn out as "creamy" as I would've hoped (but cooking dairy free is always a bit different). The flavor was amazing, and with a bit of twerking I think I can perfect the creaminess. Thanks for the recipe!
Well I clearly meant tweeking* hehe
Erika, thank you for stopping by and taking your time to leave a comment! Great to hear that coconut milk worked in this recipe (even if the texture is not quite creamy).
i am cooking this as i speak it smells very good and i have made this before with someone else recipe and it was good. you had added more things to yours and i like it . waiting for it to be done . thank you for sharing your recipe with everyone .
Sabrina, thank you so much for taking your time and leaving such a nice comment! I am so happy you liked this dish!
What sides can go great with this?
Sauteed spinach, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, or small amount of angel hair pasta.